Evaporator.



No. 63|,568. Patented Aug. 22, |899.

l W. B. GEBE & l. S. MERRELL.

EvAPoRATon.

- (Application led Sept. 13, 1898.)

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

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f .mgm/ 1 E www 'Mq/7 I maw 5d/744605 No. 631,568. Patented Aug. 22, |899.

W. B. GERE & I. S. MERRELL.

'EVAPOBATOR (Application led Sept. 13, 1898.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2,

(No M odel.)

Patented Aug. 22, |899. S. MERRELL.

No. asus-6s.

W. B. GERE & l.

EvAPoHAToR.

(Application led. Sept. 13, 1898.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

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PATENT Prion.

WILLIAM B. GERE ANI) IRVING S. MERRELL, OF SYRAOUSE, NEV YORK, ASSIGNORS TO THE MERRELL-,SOULE COMPANY, OF vSAME PLACE.

VPORATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 631,568, dated August 22, 1899.

Application iiled September 13,1898.- lSerial No. 690,783?. (No model.)

ders which are arranged\horizontally and are slowly rotated and which receive the liquid material to be dried on the lower portion 'of their outer surface and elevate the material in a thin layer or coating 'and carry the same over to the opposite side of the cylinder, where the material which has become dry duringits movement with the cylinder is removed by a scraper.

This invention has the object to produce a drier of this general character which is suitable for drying liquid or semiliquid materials which are not suiiciently adhesive to permit of their being picked up by the cylinder and elevated for the purpose of 'distributing the materials in a thin layer over the surface of the drying-cylinder.

In the accompanying drawings, consisting of three sheets, Figure 1 is a top plan view of a drying-machine embodying our improvements and having the drying-cylinders arranged side by side. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional elevation approximately in line 2 2, Fig. l. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the machine, partly in section. Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-section thereof in line 4 4, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a detached sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of one corner of the feedbox. Fig. o' is a horizontal section, on an enlarged scale, of one of the Scrapers which clean the ends of the drying-cylinders. Fig. 7 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 8 is a sectional elevation showing an apparatus in which the drying-cylinders are arranged one above the other.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

A A represent two drying-cylinders which are arranged horizontally and side by side in such near proximity that the space between the cylinders is very narrow and just sufficiently wide to form a feed-opening for supplying the liquid or semiliquid material t0 be dried to the surface of both cylinders. One yof these cylinders is mounted in fixed bearings b, which are secured to the stationary end frames B, and the other in bearings b', which are adjustable on said frames toward and from the bearings b by screws b2 or other suitable means, so that the width of the space between the cylinders can be nicely adj usted. Both cylinders may, however, be mountedin adjustable bearings, if desired. These cylinders are hollow and are heated, as usual, by steam, which is admitted to each cylinder through the hollow front gudgeon C by a pipe c at the front end of the cylinder, while the water of condensation drains off by a pipe c' at the opposite end through the hollow rear vgudgeon C. Any other suitable means for heating the cylinders may, however, be employed. These cylinders are slowly rotated by any suitable mechanism in such directions that their adjacent or opposing portions vmove downwardly, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 4. The mechanism shown for that purpose in the drawings is constructed as follows:

d represents a horizontal driving-shaft arranged parallel with the cylinders on the front `side of the machine'and provided with tight and loose pulleys D D@ This shaft transmits motion to an intermediate shaft e by a pinion E and gear-wheel E. From'the intermediate shaft the motion is transmitted to the front gudgeon C of the first cylinder A by a pinion e and gear-wheel E2. The latter meshes with a gear-wheel E3 on the front gudgeon of the second cylinder A'.

F represents the feed, box or receptacle which contains the liquid or semiliquid materia-l to be dried and which is arranged over the adjacent portions of the cylinders. v This receptacle, as shown, consists of side boards f, which are arranged lengthwise of the cylinders, and end boards j' which are arranged against the ends of the cylinders. Each side board f isarranged over the descending npper portion of one of the cylinders and is secured by bolts to a longitudinal angle-bar IOO g, forming part of the stationary frame and secured at its ends to the end frames B. The lower end of each side board is fitted more or less snugly against the surface of the cylinder. Each end board is fitted against the ends of both cylinders with a sufficient lap, as indicated in Fig. 2, to forni a practically tight joint and is pressed against the ends of the cylinders by adjusting-screws g,which are arranged in the end frames B and bear against metallic wear-plates g2 on the outer side of each end board. The end boards are fitted between the side boardsfand are connected with the same, preferably, by screws ZL, which pass through longitudinal slots Zt' 7b2 in the side boards and in the angle-bars y and are tapped into the end boards. Upon loosening these bolts the end boards can be pressed against the cylinders, and when the end boards have been so adjusted to the cylinders a tight joint is formed between the end boards and side boards by tightening the bolts Zz.. The side boards may, however, be omitted, afs the space between the cylinders is ordinarily not filled so high that the liquid material reaches the side boards. The latter are used principally to prevent splashing of the material and less to confine the body of the material. The end boards may be arranged between the converging surfaces of the cylinders instead of against the ends of the cylinders, if preferred.

I represents a stirrer or agitator which is arranged in the feed-box for breaking up the material adjacent to the surface of the cylinders. The upper descending portions of the latter practically form the bottom of the feedbox,and as their surfaces are very hot bubbles of steam or vapor are generated, which cover their surfaces and prevent the liquid material from coming in direct contact with the heated surfaces and adhering thereto. This stirrer or agitator breaks up these bubbles and causes the material to coat the descending portions of the cylinders and pass downwardly in a thin film or layer, which becomes divided, as the cylinder-surfaces separate, into two films or layers, one adhering to each cylinder. This stirrer may be constructed in various ways, but is preferably constructed as follows:

t' represents a reciprocating rod arranged lengthwise over both cylinders and guided in bearings 'i' of any suitable construct-ion in the end boards of the feed-hopper. J represents stirrer blades or arms, which are arranged at right angles to the rod t" and secured with their upper portions to this rod. The lower portion of each blade conforms to the curvature of both cylinders and has two downwardly converging concave edges j, which are arranged as closely to the surface of the cylinders as practicable without actually touching the same. The tips or lower ends of the several blades J are preferably stifcned by a longitudinal stay-rodj'. This stirrer is slowly rceiprocated in the feed-boxv by any suitable mechanism. That which is shown in the drawings is constructed as follows:

K represents a crank-wheel mounted on a horizontal transverse shaft in front of the feed-hopper and having its pin Zt engaged in a depending fork 7a2, secured to the front end of the stirrer-rod, so that the rotatory movement of the crank-pin produces a reciprocating movement of the stirrer-rod. The shaft Zt, on which the crank-wheel is mounted, is driven from a transverse shaft Z below by a chain belt Z', running around wheels Z" Z3. The transverse shaft Z is driven from a longitudinal counter-shaft m by a pair of bevel gear-wheels m m2, and the counter-shaft receives its motion from the gear-wheel E3 of the second cylinder A' by a pinion m, meshing with said gear-wheel.

N represents the scraper, which is arranged over the ascending upper portion of each cylinder and which removes the dried material from the Surface of the cylinder. These surface-Scrapers may be constructed in any ordinary or suitable manner. As shown in the drawings, they consist each of a scraper-blade n, which is adjustably secured to a holder al, pivoted by longitudinally-arranged journals n? in lbearings a3, arranged on standards n, secured to the end frames B. By turning the holder in its bearings the inclination of the scraper-blade is adjusted, and the holder is secured in its adjusted position by clampingscrews o, passing through win gs o on the holder and through curved slots o2 in the standards n4.

P represents end scrapers, one of which bears against each end rim p of each cylinder and keeps the end clear, so that no accumulation of material takes place at the ends, which would interfere with the snug lit of the end boards of the feed-box against the cylinder. The preferred construction of these end Scrapers is shown in Figs. 2, 6, and 7, in which the inner portion of the scraper-blade P is inclined against the direction in which the cylinder rotates, as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 6, and secured with its fiat or square shank to an ear Q of the stationary frame. The blade is adjusted toward and from the cylinder by a screw q and secured to the ear Q by a bolt q, which passes through a slot q2 in the shank of the blade.

The liquid or semiliquid material to be dried, which may be, for instance, a liquid food preparation, is placed in the feed-box or on the cylinders between the end boards and rests on the upper descending portions of the drying-cylinders which heat the material. The surfaces of these cylinders become coated with this material, and as the surfaces approach each other in moving toward and through the line of closest proximity a pressure is exerted upon the material which causes the saine to adhere to these surfaces. The cylinders are so' adjusted with reference to each other that this pressure is sullleient IOO IIO

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to properly coat the cylinders and cause the coating to be divided into two layers orfilms of the proper thickness below the line of closest proximity, where the surfaces of the cylinders diverge downwardly. The speed of the cylinders is, as usual in such machines, such that the layers or films of material which adhere to the cylinder-surfaces have become thoroughly dry when they reach the surfacescrapers. The latter remove the dried material from the cylinders inthe form of thin broken sheets, flakes, orpowder, as usual, and the removed material drops down on the ascending sides of the cylinders and is collected in receptacles R.

Our improved drying-machine is suitable for drying liquid or semiliquid materials of various kinds and is particularly advantageous for drying liquid materials which are not suiciently adhesive to be elevated by the drying-cylinder from a trough or receptacle facing the lower ascending portion of the cylinder, which is the arrangement ordinarily employed in drying-machines of this general character.

While our improved machine is more particularly designed for use as a drier, it is also capable of oth-er uses-for instance,as a cooler for lard and like substances--in which case a cooling medium is caused to iiow through the cylinders.

For the sake of brevity we designate the apparatus as a drying apparatus and the cylinders as drying-cylinders; but we wish to be understood as covering by that designation any other use for which the apparatus can be employed.

The drying-cylinders may be arranged one above the other, as shown in Fig. 8, instead of side by side. In this modified construction the feed-receptacle is arranged on one side of the apparatus and against the convergingor approaching surfaces of the cylinders A2 A3, so that the material rests against the same and upon the bottom S of the feedreceptacle, which bottom fits snugly against the surface of the lower cylinder A3. s s represent the surface-Scrapers whereby the dried material is removed from the cylinders, and which are arranged, respectively, above and below the feed-receptacle.

We claim as our inventionl. In a drying apparatus, the combination with two opposing' drying cylinders and means whereby said cylinders are rotated with their opposing surfaces downwardly, of a feed-inclosure for the liquid or semiliquid material to be dried, fitted tightly against the upper descending portions of both cylinders, which portions support the material in said inclosure, and means whereby the dried material is removed from the cylinders, substantially as set forth.

2. In a drying apparatus, the combination with two opposing drying cylinders and means whereby said cylinders are rotated with their opposing surfaces downwardly, of

end boards which close the downwardly-converging-space between the upper descending portions of both cylinders and receive the liquid or semiliquid material to be dried between them, confining the body of said material upon the upper descending portions of bothcylinders, from which said material escapes through the space between both cylinders, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with two opposin g drying-cylinders and means whereby said cylinders are caused to rotate with their opposing surfaces in the same direction, of a feed-receptacle having end boards which are arranged against the cylinders and inclose the space between the converging portions of the same, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination with two opposing drying-cylinders, means whereby said cylinders are caused to rotate with their opposing surfaces downwardly, and the stationary frame in which said cylinders are mounted, of a feedreceptacle having end boards which are arranged against the ends of said cylinders and which close the space between the upper descendin g portions of the cylinders at the ends thereof, and adjusting devices mounted on said stationary frame and pressing the end boards against the ends of said cylinders, substantially as set forth. y

5. The combination with two opposing drying-cylinders and means whereby said cylinders are caused to rotate with their opposing surfaces downwardly, of a feed-receptacle composed of side boards arranged lengthwise over the descending upper portions of said cylinders and end boards arranged against the ends of said cylinders, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination with two opposing drying-cylinders, means whereby said cylinders are caused torotate with their opposing surfaces downwardly, and the stationary frame in which said cylinders are mounted, of a feedreceptacle composed of side boards which are arranged lengthwise over the descending upper portions of said cylinders and are secured to said stationary frame and end boards which are arranged against the ends of the cylinders and between the side boards, ad-

justing-screwvs arranged in the stationary frame and pressing said end kboards against the cylinders, and screws connecting the end boards with the side boards and passing thro ugh longitudinal slots in the side boards, substantially as set forth.

7. In a drying apparatus, the combination with two opposing drying cylinders and means whereby said cylinders are rotated with their opposing surfaces downwardly,of a feedreceptacle for the liquid or semiliquid fitted against the upper descending portions of both cylinders and confining the material upon the same, a stirrer arranged in said receptacle near the surfaces of said cylinders, and mechanism whereby said stirrer is actuated, substantially as set forth.

IOO

IIO

ceptacle having end boards which are arranged against the ends of both cylinders and close the space between the approachingor converging portions of the cylinders at the ends thereof, and end Scrapers which bear 2o against the ends of said cylinders, substantially as set forth.

Witness our hands this 10th day of September, 1898.

WILLIAM B. GERE. IRVING S. MERRELL.,

lVitiiesses:

M. D. CLARK, HOWARD U. LYON. 

